Well, that was a fun party, wasn't it? The two-year tea party, I mean. Lots of steam building, then one lump or many for a Congress that wanted to replay the Great Society.

All those schmoes suddenly freaked by an unprecedented ballooning of Washington did a great and noble thing: They called government to account.

But every tactic has its expiration. Maybe it's time to try something new. Being a pundit, I'll fearlessly peer ahead to what fluids will animate the body politic in the coming year.

We could see the coffee party. All those citizens whose introduction to politics was helping Russ Feingold make a fool of himself on Obamacare will need to keep a close watch on Republicans in power. Bean up, people.

It's the Red Bull party for those trying to rouse the newbies who voted for Obama when he was cool. This would draw better if it were the Four Loko party, but the New Nannyism decrees booze and caffeine shall not mix.

What else lies ahead? Perhaps:

The water party: Congress should be thinking cheap. Try the bubbler.

The Evian party: Keynesians insist we should keep spending and stimulating.

The empty-cup party: Milwaukee progressives enraged at the thought of Waukesha drinking from the lake.

The blended-overflow party: They're also annoyed by your impertinence about deep tunnels.

The milk party: Think cutting Washington's going to be easy? Wait till you take on farm price supports.

The moonshine party: . . . and ethanol.

The gasoline party: If you're keen to keep the liberty to go where and when you want, with good cargo capacity.

The wet-concrete party: No, you'll travel where and when the train takes you. Your options will be set like stone.

The molasses party: . . . And the train will move at 68 mph on average. That should be fast enough, since, as Federal Railroad Administration boss Joseph Szabo said last year, "We've got to stop worrying about achieving top-end speeds like they have in Europe and Asia."

The green fairy party: Absinthe? Not half so intoxicating as all the green stuff the Fed's printing to reinflate the bubble.

The brandy old-fashioned party: In Madison, Scott Walker will find plenty of people with a taste for the way Wisconsin's always done it. Some will claim to be on his side.

The sulfuric acid party: Look out for the vitriol if Walker pushes hard to lower state labor costs.

The champagne-tastes party: At last, Milwaukee County's rid of that guy who kept talking about low taxes. The temp, Lee Holloway, wants an expanding government: "If you want to keep your damn job you need to figure out how to grow," he told staff.

The Old Milwaukee budget party: For three decades now, Wisconsin's per-capita income has been below the national average. Our tax burden has been locked in the top 10, according to the most credible source, the non-partisan Tax Foundation. Result: Grim.

The Sprecher party: OK, buy local.

The Goose Island party: Except local is often elsewhere for young Badgers on the make: By a 2-to-1 margin, Wisconsinites believe the "best and brightest" leave to find good work, a sad situation.

The V-8 party: Better drink healthy. With Obamacare, it won't be a very good country to get sick in.

The soda party: Aw, one last fling before the feds ban sugary drinks as a national security threat.

The Kool-Aid party: For those who still insist Obamacare isn't a government takeover (except for the part where doctors get told what to do, insurers get told what to charge, employers get told what to cover and you get told what to buy.) Here, have a sip.